


No problem Magic can't solve

by IdeologicalIre



Series: The Dangerous Life of Aelwen Abernant [1]
Category: Dimension 20 (Web Series), Fantasy High
Genre: Bad Parenting, Coping, Dungeons & Dragons Game Mechanics, Gen, Insomnia, Not Beta Read, Protective Siblings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-25
Updated: 2020-05-25
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24367945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IdeologicalIre/pseuds/IdeologicalIre
Summary: For someone who had been kept awake for so long there was a certain horror to stubborn insomnia.
Relationships: Adaine Abernant & Aelwen Abernant
Series: The Dangerous Life of Aelwen Abernant [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1762090
Comments: 5
Kudos: 40





	No problem Magic can't solve

**Author's Note:**

> First time writing fanfic in a long time. Those Bad Kids got me back on my bullshit. Un-betad

For someone who had been kept awake for so long there was a certain horror to stubborn insomnia.

After leaving the Forest of the Nightmare King Aelwyn slept solidly for several nights. She couldn’t rightly claim it as a good sleep but it was certainly deep, especially for one accustomed to trancing instead.

Then her levels of exhaustion ran out and everything went to shit.

Trance required a meditative state, it was deep yes but so simple that even children could do it. So why was she, a grown woman and increasingly proficient wizard, failing?

Aelwyn kicked off the covers from her bottom bunk. Perhaps the problem was the bed. She’d learnt to trance sitting upright or reclining on a couch, Father said it had a more dignified air.

Father said.

Suddenly Aelwyn was sure she wouldn’t be trancing tonight at all. No matter. After her time in the tower, a single lost night of rest was hardly going to break her.

She slips from the bed and prays she doesn’t wake Adaine. A quick peek confirms the Elven Oracle is deep in trance, her baggy tie-dyed t-shirt gaining a spreading wet patch of frog drool.

If she wasn’t going to be resting she should at least be productive. As Mother would say; Immortality is no excuse for idleness.

Mother.

Aelwyn draws her hand back from the book she was reaching for and carefully doesn’t notice the tremor in her fingers.

Tea. Tea will help steady her nerves. Not that she’s rattled, just thirsty.

It takes her a moment to remember which secret passage leads to the kitchen. There are so many, one for every other room in the house. This room has dozens of entrances, dozens of ways for people to get in. This room she sleeps in. That ADAINE sleeps in.

It’s fine. This isn’t a problem. Or rather this is a problem she is well equipped to solve. If she can’t protect her own bedroom what right has she to call herself an Abjurer?

Alarm is simple to cast and done ritually doesn’t even cost her a spell slot. Adaine is dangerous in her own right and if woken up would easily be able to escape a threat.

Blue runes glow and sink into the floor before fading away. There. Problem solved.

....unless the alarm is dispelled of course. Surely anyone coming for the Elven Oracle would be prepared for an Alarm spell.

Allowing herself a moment of grit teeth and clenched fists at her own stupidity Aelwyn rolls her shoulders and reconsiders.

This is fine. She’s found the right course of action she just needs to think it through properly.

Assume the worst and an Elven hit squad comes for them again. What can she do to slow them down or kill them?

Defensive spells of course. She drops a few glyphs of warding on the stairs, carefully exempting the residents of the house and the Bad Kids. A few more strategically placed cover most of the secret passages and then she’s out of third-level spell slots.

The tips of her ears begin to tingle with the magic in the air. It’s not enough though. Small, predictable spells.

She can be better. Do better. Of course she meant that she could DO better.

Private Sanctum is a double-edged sword. It’ll block diviner’s but also imply something worth spying on.

It’s fine. When she is done the walls of this fortress will scrape the stars.

Guards and wards will have to wait, she may as well do the whole house and people are sleeping.

Forbiddence is likewise discarded. Mobility is too important if they have to escape.

She burns through her fourth level spells with upcast glyphs of warding. These she loads with Tasha’s Hideous Laughter. It’s an unconventional choice but the spell seems to be lucky for Adaine so why not?

She has her two most powerful spells left and has to consider their use carefully. Her sister is counting on her. Looking at what she’s already done she feels a sinking in her guts.

She could get through this. Someone as skilled as she is could hurt Adaine. Someone as skilled as she is already had.

How then would she stop herself? How can she protect Adaine when she might be the problem?

A guilty glance at her sleeping sister and she makes her choice.

Her seventh level spell slot, a symbol of death. A truly deadly amount of necrotic with a very specific trigger: Target Aelwyn Abernant if she makes a deliberate attempt to harm Adaine Abernant.

As the blue glow fades away and the magic settles she feels no guilt, no shame for the spell she just cast. It’s the next one that churns her gut.

She promised not to use it again. Vowed even, but it's the only way to be sure.

With her last spell slot, Aelwyn casts modify memory and erases her own recollection of casting symbol of death.

A moment later she blinks, yawns and heads downstairs to make a cup of tea. She must have lost track of time casting those glyphs of warding. She’ll have to be more creative tomorrow night...


End file.
